Analogy Between Transient Heat Conduction and Dissolution of Solid Particles in Liquids Based on the Shrinking Core Model
In this study, the analogy between transient heat conduction and mass transfer is applied to investigate the dissolution behavior of solid particles in liquids, particularly, for the transport phenomenon associated with the controlled drug release process. Mathematical modeling is established assuming the shrinking core is solely caused by the diffusion mechanism. The transport governing equations for the dissolution process of controlled drug release are compared with the transient heat conduction differential equations. Analogous quantities, certain analytical solutions and numerical solutions for complex geometry are obtained to demonstrate the dissolution behavior of this specific type of solid particles in liquids based on the proposed shrinking core model. It is found that the shape of the drug capsule plays an important role for effective and timely release of drug content after intake. Among the three shapes investigated herein, sphere, cube and cuboid, we conclude that the drug concentration in a cuboid shaped drug head depletes the quickest whereas the spherical shaped head dissolves the slowest.